Shattered Promises 10: Dreams Really Do Come True
by JulieM
Summary: Cathy and Mikey face a big hurdle in their pursuit of happiness and the JAG crew is there to try and help them out. Set after the events of 'SP 9: Scattered Photographs.' COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

This is installment 11 in the Shattered Promises series.

Things Fall Apart. Picking Up The Pieces. (a & b.) Starting Over. Getting It Right. Getting To Know You. Happy Endings. Sleepless Nights. See You In My Dreams. Scattered Photographs. Dreams Really Do Come True. Celebrations. Turning Full Circle. 

Rating: T just to be on the safe side.

Disclaimer: JAG and its main characters belong to the genius who is DPB and to CBS. I don't make any profit from writing any of these fics, but simply get to exercise my overactive imagination every now and then. Please don't sue me, as I'm just a student with no money and way too much time on my hands:0)

Summary: Cathy and Mikey face a big hurdle in their pursuit of happiness and the JAG crew is there to try and help them out.

Spoilers: None. This isn't set at any particular point in the JAG timeline and there are no specific references to any episodes.

Feedback, as always, is very much appreciated. Please don't hesitate to press the 'review' button!

OOOO

Dreams Really Do Come True

Ch.1

All was quiet at JAG Headquarters as Mac sat working at the desk in her office. She was just finishing writing up a case file, when Harriet knocked on the door.

"Come on in Harriet," Mac told her, gesturing to the seat in front of the desk. Harriet gratefully took the seat offered, as she had been on her feet all morning, spending her time looking through great stacks of old case files in the filing cabinets downstairs.

"Here's that information you wanted, Mac," she told Mac, handing it to her over the desk.

"Thank you so much, Harriet. I don't know what I'd do without you! You're a lifesaver!"

"You'd probably ask that bewitched husband of yours. You know he couldn't deny you anything!" Harriet replied.

After their wedding up at Gram's farm in Belleville, several months before, Harm and Mac had settled well into married life and had now just completed the step of moving into a larger house in Richmond, near to the Roberts.

"So how are you settling in?" Harriet enquired.

"Fine, apart from the fact that Harm keeps trying DIY electrical rewiring. He keeps nearly electrocuting himself! But yesterday, he finally gave in and let me call a professional electrician."

"And Cathy?" Harriet asked, "How's she settling in?"

"Oh, Cathy's fine," Mac told her, "apart from missing Mikey like crazy. If she makes it through the next couple of weeks, 'til he gets home, she'll be fine."

"Yeah," Harriet agreed, "It's got to be hard for the both of them, when Mikey spends so much time away."

"The fact that she's in the Marine Corps and he's in the Navy won't help things either," Mac added, "The last time he was home, I caught a couple of his friends teasing him about how he had to resort to picking up jarheads, in order to find a girlfriend!"

"Really?" exclaimed Harriet, laughing, "Well, he's very down-to-earth and easy going. I'm sure he'll have no problem dealing with that sort of thing."

"Yeah," Mac agreed, "but I'm a bit more worried about what will happen once Cathy finishes at the Language Center and gets a job. Mikey's hoping for that promotion to the naval base in Pensacola. I don't think it will be easy for them, being so far apart."

Just then, Harm appeared at Mac's office door.

"Good afternoon, ladies," he greeted them with a smile.

"So I take it that your good mood means that you won the Balliston case?"

"Yep," Harm replied, "and I was thinking about lunch at that new Italian restaurant in town to celebrate. Would you and Bud like to join us, Harriet?"

"I'm afraid that Bud and I have already got plans," Harriet told him, "but thank you for the invitation. I'd better go and find him."

"Another time then," Harm suggested, as he helped Mac with her coat.

OOOO

"Is there something wrong, Mikey?" Cathy asked him over the phone.

"No," Mikey assured her, "I'm just a little distracted, that's all. Yesterday, I got letter from my Dad. He said that he'll be coming down to visit, when I get home next week."

"It'll be okay," Cathy told him, "This visit surely won't be as bad as the last one."

"You're forgetting one thing," Mikey reminded her, "The last time he was here, you hadn't joined the Marine Corps. When he finds out, he's unlikely to let me forget it."

"Yeah, well," Cathy conceded, "That's fine, as long as you yourself don't have a problem with having a jarhead for a girlfriend."

"No, of course I don't," Mikey quickly told her, "but you know what my Dad is like. I just don't want him upsetting you."

"I'll be fine," Cathy assured him, "just as long as I have you."

"In that case," Mikey concluded, "I predict a trouble free week, while Dad's around."

"And afterwards, it'll be just the two of us," Cathy added.

Suddenly, Mikeys attitude seemed to change and he broached the subject of their uncertain future together. Cathy had been trying not to think about it.

"About afterwards," he continued, "Have you given any more thought to that?"

"Not really," Cathy told him, "I mean, I graduate in a week, then I'll be offered a place in a military establishment, but I have no idea where that will be, right now."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. If I get this job in Pensacola, there's no telling how far apart we'll be…"

"When do you find out if you've got the job?" Cathy asked him.

"There's no telling, maybe as long as three weeks."

"Well, let's just deal with that when it happens," Cathy suggested.

"Cath," Mikey interrupted, "there's really no dealing with it if I do get offered the job. I'm just going to take it."

"But what if they don't?" Cathy asked him.

"Well, I'd really not like to think about it, but I guess I'd have to accept one of the other job offers, even if it wasn't what I had been hoping for."

"Don't worry," Catriona told him, "I'm sure they'll offer you the job. If they've got any common sense, they will."

"Thanks babe," Mikey told her, "Listen, I'd better get going. I'll phone you next week, when I'm on my way home, okay? I'm not sure what time I'll get in, I might be quite late."

"I'm still going to wait up for you," Cathy insisted, "There's no way I'll be able to sleep, anyway."

Mikey had his own apartment in D.C. where Catriona usually stayed with him, when he was on shore leave. The previous year, Mikey's Father, Bud Roberts Sr. had come to stay with them, which had proved to be an impossible situation, so this time, he was going to stay at a motel.

"Don't stay up too late," Mikey told Cathy, "you'll have work the next day."

"I'll be fine," Cathy replied and then bid him farewell, adding her usual, "I love you" on the end.

"Me too," Mikey replied, his mind obviously somewhere else.

Cathy worriedly put the phone down, trying not to think about the implications of the coming weeks.

OOOO


	2. Chapter 2

OOOO

Ch 2

As Mac walked out of the bedroom, she caught the noise of someone being violently ill in the bathroom.

"Cathy?" she enquired, "Are you alright in there?"

After the noise stopped, Mac heard the toilet being flushed, then the door was unlocked. Mac opened it to find Cathy sitting on the toilet lid, her head in her hands, looking extremely rough.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong? Are you sick?" she asked.

"I'm just not feeling very well," Cathy replied, "It's probably one of those twenty-four hour bugs."

"You didn't seem yourself at dinner last night," Mac told her, "You hardly even touched your food."

"I'll be fine," Cathy assured her, "I'll just keep myself occupied. I think I'll go over to Mikey's place and make sure the place is well stocked for him coming home, next week."

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Mac asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine now," Cathy insisted.

OOOO

As Cathy rang the doorbell, Bud opened it, telling her, "Hi Cathy. Come on in."

Cathy could see, when she walked into the living room, that Harriet was fussing about little AJ, who was seated in front of the TV.

"Now, AJ," Harriet was telling him, "no causing trouble for Catriona. When she tells you that it's time for bed, you do as you're told. No waiting up for us to get home, you hear?"

"Harriet," Cathy told her, "AJ's always good for me."

Harriet and AJ looked around and she asked AJ, giving him a conspiratorial wink, "Isn't that right, angel?"

"Cathy!" AJ exclaimed, running to her, where she scooped him into a big hug.

"We should be back by 11:30," Harriet told her, "Bud will give you a lift home, afterwards…"

"That's okay, Harriet," Cathy told her, "I brought my car."

"But it'll be late by the time you go home," Bud objected, "and you know how temperamental that little car can be. Let me give you a ride home tonight, and then I'll drive your car by tomorrow, since Harm's giving me a lift into court, in the morning. It'll save him from picking me up."

"Are you sure you don't mind doing that?" Cathy questioned, to which Harriet replied,

"Of course not, sweetie, it's no problem at all."

After they kissed AJ goodnight and said goodbye, Cathy and AJ settled down to watch AJ's '102 Dalmatians' video.

OOOO

Harriet approached Mac in the bullpen coffee room, to ask how Cathy had managed work the previous day.

"Oh, she was okay," Mac told her.

"I was just afraid that she'd be tired, after an evening with little AJ. I'm sorry I had to ask her on a weeknight, but our usual babysitter came down with the flu and cancelled on us."

"No, it's fine," Mac assured her, "It was her decision and she knows best what she can handle."

"So she was okay getting up yesterday?" Harriet asked.

"Oh yeah," Mac told her, "she was up bright and early. But, unfortunately, it's been the same for the past week. She hasn't been too well and I've found her heaving for kingdom-come in the bathroom every morning this week."

"Oh my!" Harriet exclaimed, "Is she sick?"

"She's not sure, but if you ask me, I'll bet that it's just stress. She's graduating this Friday, then Mikey's coming home on the Sunday. And the Master Chief is arriving the next Tuesday, so maybe it's just a nervous stomach that she's got."

"Let her know that I'm thinking about her," Harriet told Mac, "Tell her that everything will be fine and that I hope that she feels better soon."

"Thanks Harriet," Mac told her, "I'll let her know."

OOOO

For yet another morning in a row, Harm and Mac woke up to find Cathy throwing up in the bathroom.

"Mac," Harm told his wife, "we're going to have to have a talk with her and find out what is wrong. This has been going on all week."

After she emerged, they sat Cathy down and began to have a serious talk with her.

"Cathy, what's going on?" Harm asked her, "How come you're being sick every morning?"

"It's nothing," Cathy insisted, "At first, I thought it was a stomach bug, but now I think that it's just nerves."

"Are you sure?" Harm insisted.

"Yeah," Cathy told him, "I've just got a couple of busy weeks ahead of me, that's all."

"And you're not being sick at any other point in the day?"

"No, I feel fine by the time I get to work. From then on, I get rushed off my feet. By the time I get to bed, I'm either wired for sound or completely tired out. I guess that I don't think about it…"

Harm shot Mac a look, which signaled that this was now her domain to probe a bit further.

Mac understood this look, so stepped forward and asked again, "Are you sure that's all it is? Is it possible that this might be…something else?"

Cathy just looked at Mac, silently for a minute. As she grasped Mac's meaning, she stammered, "What? That I might be pregnant? Oh no Mac, there's no chance of that!"

"You're 100 sure?" Mac insisted, "You and Mikey are…uh… using something, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah," Cathy assured her, "and I've been as regular as clockwork since Mikey left."

"Okay," Harm breathed a sigh of relief, as he went back to getting ready for work.

OOOO

As Mikey let himself into the apartment, he noticed that Cathy was curled up, sound asleep on the sofa.

"She must have fallen asleep while she was waiting up for me," he thought, smiling to himself.

He quietly set his bags down, then went over to where Cathy was curled up. He stroked her hair back from her face and she stirred, then realized that it was him.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," he greeted her.

"I'm sorry," Cathy apologized, "I must have dozed off. I so wanted to greet you when you came through that door, too!"

"Don't worry about it," Mikey told her, "Let's just go to bed and get some sleep. I'm dog-tired and I've missed having you curled up beside me."

With that, they left all of the bags in the hallway and made their way to the bedroom to get some sleep.

OOOO


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Sorry, this is just a little'un. Will make it up to you, I promise!

OOOO

Ch 3

The night before Master Chief Bud Roberts Sr. was due to arrive, Mikey lay awake in bed until an early hour. Beside him, Cathy was fast asleep, snuggled up to his chest. In his mind, he went through the possible reactions that his Dad might have, once he knew that Cathy had joined the Marine Corps. None of these possible reactions were very good. In particular, Mikey thought back to when he had told his Father that her wanted to go to art school. He remembered the torrent of abuse that he had received, both verbal and otherwise, after that. There was no way that he would let his Father upset Cathy, that was for sure, but what kind of misery would he have to endure? Even though he was a grown man and had a life of his own, Mikey felt that he could never quite escape from his Father, no matter what he did.

He took a deep breath and pushed it all from his mind, as Cathy stirred and gently nuzzled closer to him in her sleep. He gave her a soft kiss as he pulled her closer and stroked her hair softly. After a couple of minutes, he closed his eyes, trying again to get some sleep.

OOOO

It had been a tense week for all of those involved, as Thursday came around.

On the Tuesday, Mikey and Cathy had met Master Chief Bud Roberts Sr. for lunch in the late morning. He had greeted them courteously enough and, after enquiring after the rest of the JAG group, asked them both how they were. Mikey had first told him about the job opportunity in Pensacola, then after congratulating Mikey, the Master Chief had tuned to Cathy and asked her, "What about you, my dear? How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine, Master Chief," she told him, "I've just graduated from the Language Center."

"Do you have any plans for the future?"

"Well, actually," Mikey began to tell him, " a while ago, Cathy enlisted…"

Before Mikey could finish, Bud Sr. went on, "That's wonderful! Now we've got a whole family in the Navy. It'll be a family trait, if we keep going on like this..."

"Actually," Cathy stopped him, "I didn't join the Navy, Master Chief. I joined the Marine Corps…"

The Master Chief just stared at her wordlessly for a couple for seconds, before throwing his napkin down and getting up from the table and walking out of the restaurant.

"Oh no!" Cathy exclaimed, biting her lip, worriedly.

"Don't worry," Mikey told her, squeezing her hand, "I'll go and talk to him. It'll be okay."

Cathy was left to finish her lunch while Mikey ran outside to stop his Father and talk him around.

The rest of the week had not passed any better and now, Mikey sat on the couch with his Father, watching a football match on TV.

"You know Dad, it's not really such a bad thing," Mikey began

"Oh, yes it is!" the Master Chief had quickly interrupted.

"But why?" Mikey insisted, "It's the person I love, not the uniform."

He thought for a second, to himself, that actually he did like the uniform as well, because Cathy always managed to look so damn sexy in it!

"There are a lot of things you don't understand," Mikey's Father continued.

"Like what?" Mikey demanded.

"A relationship between the Navy and the Marine Corps will never work," Bud Sr. told him.

"But what about Harm and Mac?" Mikey pointed out.

"That'll never last," the old man went on, "Mikey, I know you wouldn't remember this, because you weren't born yet and Bud would have been too young to remember, but your Mother was a reservist in the Marine Corps, once."

"Really?" Mikey exclaimed.

"Yeah and even after I finally got her to resign her commission, the relationship never worked, because it was just who she was. She was Marine and I was Navy and that was all there was to it. Nothing would ever change that."

Mikey let out a long sigh as he leaned back into his seat and prepared himself for a long night.

OOOO


	4. Chapter 4

OOOO

Ch 4

Perhaps it was the pressure that Mikey had gotten from his Father, right up to his departure, or perhaps the stress of waiting to hear about the job offer, that had set Mikey in an irritable mood that Friday evening. But when the bittersweet news arrived that he could have the job in Pensacola if he wanted it, Mikey wasn't sure how he should break the news to Cathy. On the one hand, it would mean that he would have to move far away. He didn't know if their relationship could survive that.

When Cathy arrived home, he calmly informed her of the 'good news.' She had congratulated him, but he had seen something else in her eyes. Fear.

"So I guess that means that you're going to be moving across the country," she told him.

"You could always come with me," he suggested to her.

"No, Mikey, you know I couldn't…"

"But why?"

"Mikey, I've got my own career to think about. I've seen no offers of suitable jobs in or even anywhere near Florida."

"Cathy," Mikey continued, starting to get frustrated, "This is the job of a lifetime, you know that. I have to take this job if I want to make anything of my life."

He had not meant to say it that way, but Cathy had perceived it that way and the hurt was evident on her face.

"Yeah, well it's obvious that you've got no room in this life for me!" Cathy accused him.

"C'mon, that's not what I meant and you know it. Would it really be such a bad thing? I'm sure that you could find something…"

"Mikey, I'm only just out of college. You're far more likely to get something. You've been active in the Navy for years."

"What this is really about is the issue of moving across the country. You're going to have to move away from DC at some point, being in the Marines. Why not now?"

"I don't want to do that, unless I have no other choice. I'm settled here. Do you really want me to do that? Move across the country on whim?"

Mikey gave her a pointed look and Cathy quickly clarified, "The whim of a job, I mean, not the whim of a relationship. What we have means the world to me and I believe in it more than anything."

After a moment of silence, Cathy spoke up again.

"I love you, Michael, but you forget that I've already done this sort of thing before; that's how I spent my entire childhood. I need some stability, now."

"But was it really be so bad? I mean, the whole family issue aside. You did manage to adapt. Think about the advantage that you got over all the other people your age, who stayed in one place. You learned how to speak eight languages, you got to meet lots of people from different cultures and backgrounds…"

"But don't you realize? I would have traded it all in, in a second, if it meant that I'd have had the stable family life! It wasn't all meeting new people. Do you know how lonely that kind of life was? I didn't make new friends…my abductors made sure of that…in the end, I stopped even trying…"

Cathy wrangled with her common sense as she contemplated going on with what she was going to say. On the one hand, she had never told any other person this, even had trouble admitting it to herself sometimes and was worried about what Mikey would think of her once he knew. But on the other, she needed to salvage this relationship that was quickly going down the drain.

"Mikey, I was barely seven years old when I began to see the futility of my situation. I thought that I was never going to escape or make anything of my life…I was drowning in depression and I could only see one way out of it. Do you know that I seriously considered taking my own life, because it was the only way I could see of escaping? It would have been so easy to slip into the school infirmary and grab a bottle of pills and swallow them …or jump off the nearest bridge and let the river carry me away…Once, I even found myself sitting on the wall of the bridge I crossed on my way home from school…but I managed to realize just what I was about to do and I forced myself to climb back down… At seven years old…"

Mikey just stared in disbelief, lost for words.

Cathy kept her eyes to the ground, afraid to look up into Mikey's eyes, afraid of what she might see there.

"Cathy…Baby," Mikey finally managed to speak up, "You never have to worry about anything like that, again. I'll always be here for you, I'll never leave you…"

"Is that dependent on me going with you?" Cathy questioned.

"Why is this bothering you so much? I guess it…it wouldn't be such a bad thing for me to leave and for you to stay here…It would only be for a while…"

"Mikey, how often do you think that we're going to be able to see each other?"

"We'll make time…"

"This is across-country that we're talking about here, not across state! Where are we going to get that kind of money and time when we're both on active duty? And how is our relationship going to survive on occasional telephone calls?"

"We can do this, Cathy, I know we can! What we have is so special, so strong. Our relationship can stand a bit more separation…"

"Mikey, if we're apart, there is no relationship! Don't you see? I'm here, you're there…we're no different than two average people who've never even met each other. Why can't you understand that!"

"Why can't you understand that this is all I've ever wanted?" Mikey interrupted, hurting too much to consider the pain that Cathy must also be feeling, "You and me! Together…But you're just not willing to give us the chance…"

"Michael," Cathy emphasized, again, "I love you, for goodness sake! Just because I'm not willing to move across the country, it doesn't mean that I love you any less. But my family's buried here. Do you expect me to turn my back on them?"

"Now who has no room in their life for who?" Mikey threw back at her.

"Hey! That is not fair! I loved my family. I still do, but I've moved past that, now. I'm just not willing to forsake them altogether, that's all I'm saying. Yes, I love you more than anything, but I can't leave behind everything else I've come to know and love."

Mikey spoke up in a moment of bitterness, "I should have known that you'd have to destroy this relationship. You've destroyed everything else you've ever…"

He quickly bit his tongue. Mikey knew in his heart that he didn't mean it and was bitterly sorry the moment that he spoke those words, but they were already out of his mouth and he couldn't take them back.

Cathy just stared at him in hurt silence for a minute, as tears started to glisten in her eyes.

Then, quietly, she spoke up, "Because most of the people who have been in my life are dead? My parents, my Aunts, cousins…Uncles…Yeah, sure, I bet even Uncle Jim is wishing that he was dead now, too…A life sentence is as good as death… Mikey? My God, do you really believe that?"

She turned away as she lowered her head into her hands and Mikey reached out in apology as she started to sob, brokenly.

As his hand touched her arm, she stiffened and flung his hand away, vehemently telling him, "Get away from me! All my life, men have tried to belittle and hurt me. If they weren't battering me across the room with their fists, then they were hurling stinging, abusive words at me. You're no different! You're cruel, just like the rest of them…"

With that, she fled to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Mikey's heart hardened at her angry words and he spoke up loudly, "Fine! I'm out of here. Maybe it's better this way. Dad's been telling me all week that our relationship will never come to anything and I'm starting to think that he's right."

Cathy just sat silently in the bathroom, too upset to speak, choking back the sobs as Mikey grabbed his coat from the closet. Finally he told her, "I'll be at Bud and Harriet's," before storming out.

OOOO

The next morning, Harriet got up early to find that Mikey was sleeping on the couch.

"What's Mikey doing here?" she asked her husband.

"He arrived last night, while you were asleep. Apparently, he and Cathy had a big fight. I thought it was best if he just stayed here for the night, to cool off."

"Hmm," Harriet pondered, "This has 'your Father' written all over it…"

"Most likely," Bud agreed, "I wonder what he said…"

Just then, Mikey woke up, noticed Bud and Harriet then let out a loud groan, remembering the night before.

"Oh, no!" he exclaimed, "What did I do Harriet?"

"You tell me," she replied, far from amused.

"I said some awful things to Cathy…I told her that she manages to destroy everything and everyone in her life…God, how could I say that kind of thing to her? After all of the people she's lost…"

Harriet gave him a disgusted look and Mikey conceded, "I know, I know…It was stupid and it was spiteful, I know. And it wasn't true, but I was hurting and I lashed out. I wanted to take those words back as soon as I'd said them…And the way she looked at me…God, I've never seen her cry like that."

Mikey was starting to look sick to his stomach and panic stricken, so Harriet's anger towards him softened and she took a seat on the arm of the couch, next to him, waiting patiently.

" My God, she was crying…no, not just crying, but sobbing and it was all because of me…I made her cry…How could I have done that? This is all my fault."

Bud sat down next to his brother and asked him, "Was that why you left? Because she was upset?"

"Well, she was angry, too. Really angry…"

"As she should be," Harriet pointed out, still far from letting Mikey off the hook.

Bud put up a hand to silence her then Mikey continued, "Yes, she had every right to be angry…I tried to tell her how sorry I was, that I really didn't mean it. But I couldn't find the words, so I tried to show her, show her how sorry I was, how sorry I still am…. But she told me to get away from her, told me that I was cruel, just like every other man who's tried to hurt her in her life…She said I was no different from Jim, that bastard who nearly killed her…Then I got angry and I broke it all off…"

"What?" Bud exclaimed, "You mean you…"

"I told her that, no matter what, I was going to take the job and that if she didn't understand, then it was probably best that we end it."

"But you didn't mean it, did you?" Bud asked him.

"No! Of course I didn't!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Then get over there and tell her that!" Harriet ordered him.

Mikey stopped only to put on his shoes before he ran out of the front door and to his car.

OOOO

Cathy sat, semi-conscious, on the cold tile floor of the bathroom, where she had spent pretty much the whole night. After Mikey had left, she had been in such a worried state that she had been throwing up non-stop. Even now that there was nothing left in her stomach to bring up, she was still hit by a fit of dry heaving every now and then. Her chest still constricted painfully as she tried to even out her breathing, but all night, an impending panic attack had been threatening. As much as she tried, she couldn't get over the desolate feeling of loss in the pit of her stomach and the painful throbbing in her heart. She was tired, she was cold and was pretty much all cried out.

As Mikey entered the apartment, he noticed how quiet it was and started to worry that Catriona had perhaps left. But as he got to the bedroom, he heard the noise of the toilet flushing in the bathroom and gave a relieved sigh. After hesitating for a moment, he opened the bathroom door and peered in, to see the heart rending sight of Cathy sitting on the floor, propped up against the toilet.

"Cath?" Mikey asked her, "Baby, are you alright?"

She looked around in surprise and her red puffy eyes indicated to Mikey that she had probably spent the whole night crying. Just as Mikey went to go to her, she was wracked by another fit of retching, so quickly leaned over the toilet. Mikey held her until the fit subsided, then flushed the toilet and lifted Cathy to the sink, where he helped her wash her face. After that, she collapsed, exhausted to the bathroom floor, raising her knees up and holding her head in her hands.

"Honey?" Mikey asked her gently, "What's wrong, are you sick?"

"No," Cathy assured him, "It's just nerves. I've been like this since you left, last night. I was worried…I thought that you might not come back."

"I'm so sorry, baby," Mikey apologized, taking her into his arms, "I didn't mean any of it. The thought of us being apart just really scares me. I love you and I'd never be able to live without you in my life."

After holding each other for a minute, Mikey noticed what a state Cathy was in.

"Come on," he told her, "you're tired and you're freezing cold, let's go back to bed and get some sleep."

He gently lifted her into his arms and carried her through to the bedroom. He lowered her gently to the bed, then climbed in next to her, pulling her in close.

"You're so cold!" he exclaimed, "Look, you're shivering!"

"I'm alright, now that you're home," she told him.

At this, Mikey leaned forward and gave her a long, soft kiss, then held her, stroking her face softly as she dropped off to sleep.

"There's no way I could possibly leave her, not ever," he told himself, "It would be like cutting my heart in two."

OOOO


	5. Chapter 5

OOOO

Ch 5

That Monday, Mac saw Cathy in the bullpen as usual, because that was the afternoon Cathy came in to tutor the Admiral in Italian. Afterwards, Cathy always sat and had coffee with Mac and Harriet, while they were on their lunch break. Today, it was particularly sunny, so they ate outside in the courtyard. Mac herself was not eating, because she felt a bit under the weather, but Harriet and Cathy eagerly tucked into their sandwiches.

"I didn't see you over the weekend," Harriet remarked to Cathy, "I take it that you and Mikey made up okay?"

"Yeah," Cathy told her, "I think we're back on track now. Pretty much anyway. There's still the issue about the job in Pensacola, but I'm sure that everything will turn out to be fine in the end."

"I'm positive it will," Harriet agreed, reassuringly

"Even Harm and I didn't see either of them over the weekend," Mac told Harriet, grinning, "Goodness knows what they were occupying themselves with, all weekend, in that tiny apartment! Did you even leave the bedroom all weekend, Cathy?"

Mac and Harriet just grinned as Cathy nearly choked on her sandwich, blushing furiously.

"Mac!"

OOO

A week later, Mikey strolled into the bullpen, looking for Bud and Harriet, for whom he was babysitting that evening. Bud caught sight of him on his way to the Xerox room.

"Hi Buddy," Mikey greeted him, "Sorry I'm early, but I didn't have anything to do at the apartment. Is it okay if I just stick around here for a while?"

"It's fine," Bud assured him, "Harriet's on her way to pick little AJ up from daycare, then they'll meet us back at home. Just let me xerox these files, then we'll be on our way."

OOOO

That evening, Mikey and little AJ spent their time watching little AJ's 'One Hundred and Two Dalmatians' video.

"Uh, sport? Isn't this the video that we watched the last time I came over to watch you?" Mikey had asked the little boy.

"Uh-huh," AJ had replied, "but this is the video me and Cathy watch, whenever she comes over. We _always_ watch it."

Little AJ had been insistent, so Mikey had just gone along with the routine. Later on, when the video had finished, AJ had told him, "Okay Uncle Mikey, it's time for me to go to bed now. You see the clock up there?"

Mikey nodded and little AJ continued, "Cathy says that when the big hand points straight up and the little hand point to the eight, then I have to get my 'jammies on and climb into bed."

"She's right," Mikey told him, "You're going to have a busy day tomorrow, as well. Momma and Daddy are taking you to the zoo."

"Uh-huh" little AJ agreed, "we're going to see the elephants!"

Mikey just grinned, remembering the wonders of childhood, as he helped little AJ into his pajamas and into bed.

"Would you like me to tell you a bedtime story?" Mikey then asked him.

"Cathy usually sings me a lullaby," AJ informed him.

"Which lullaby does she sing you?" Mikey asked him.

"She sings me a Spanish one, to get me to sleep. She sings about this little baby, whose Mother sings him to sleep, because he's scared."

"I don't know that one," Mikey told him, "you'll have to make do with a bedtime story until I can get Cathy to teach that one to me."

"Okay," AJ conceded, disappointed.

OOOO

The next morning, Cathy stood in front of the full-length mirror, straightening her Marine green uniform. Mikey walked through and handed her a mug of coffee.

"So, will you be busy, today?" he asked her.

"I will be until lunch," she replied, "I've got a conference this morning, but I should be dropping by JAG at lunch, as usual, to tutor the Admiral."

"Little AJ told me last night that you sing him a lullaby in Spanish whenever you come to baby-sit him. I promised him that you'd teach it to me so that I could sing it to him the next time I watch him. He wasn't very impressed with my bedtime story!"

"Oh, that's just a habit that we got into when I first started watching him for Bud and Harriet. When I was little I had a nanny, a Mexican woman, who used to sing it to me whenever I couldn't sleep," Cathy told him.

"Well, if it's in Spanish, I think that it's going to take quite a while for me to learn it," Mikey admitted.

"No, it's really easy," Cathy assured him, "I'll teach it to you when we get home, later tonight. He also likes one that I sing to him in Swahili."

Mikey just gave her a bewildered look that said, 'I'm not even going to attempt to learn that one!'

Cathy just laughed and they lapsed into silence.

They both looked at their entwined fingers as they held hands.

"Mikey," Cathy continued, broaching the topic with care, "I got a call from a Marine Intelligence base last night. They offered me a job."

"Where is this base?" Mikey asked her.

"In Norfolk," she replied, hesitantly.

"If you think that you're going to like the job, I think you should take it, Cath," Mikey told her, "Good jobs are hard to come by."

"But if you accept that job in Pensacola…"

"Honey, it isn't like we haven't done this before. Ever since we've been together, we've had to deal with separation for over ten months out of the year. This will just be exactly the same thing."

"But Mikey," Cathy protested, "I don't think I can do that anymore! It hurt so much every time you went away. I won't be able to bear every day without you. How often do you think we're going to get home?"

"Sweetheart, I know that vacations are going to be few and far in between, but we're strong. I believe that we can do this."

"Mikey, please don't make me do this, I can't…"

"Come on, now," Mikey told her, "don't get yourself worked up over this. You've got a busy day ahead of you. I promise that we'll discuss this when we meet, later, at JAG."

"Okay," Cathy reluctantly agreed, "I'll see you later."

She grabbed her briefcase, gave Mikey a last kiss then went to the front door. She quickly turned back as she remembered something then called out, "Mikey, did you check out my car last night, like I asked you?"

Mikey sheepishly stuck his head around the door.

"No…I'm sorry, but Dan called and…you know how stoked he is that we're going to be working together, again…"

"But Mikey!" Cathy exclaimed, "I asked you to check my car! You know how much trouble it's been giving me. I was lucky it even managed to get me home last night…"

"Cath…The car can wait until tonight. There's nothing seriously wrong with it. It's just temperamental, that's all."

"Try telling me that when the emergency services are scraping me off the beltway…let me guess, Dan called and you got sidetracked and forgot all about my car?"

"Dan thinks that your car probably just needs the junk yard…"

"Sometimes I think that Dan and this new job mean more to you than I do," Cathy snapped back.

Mikey let out an exasperated sigh and disappeared back into the bedroom.

Cathy went to reach for the front door again, but she momentarily hesitated as she went to walk out.

She didn't know why, but she was loath to leave this unsettled. Her parents had told her, in their short time with her, that you should never let the sun go down on an argument. Cathy could hear their voices as if they were in that very room with her.

Letting out a sigh, she walked back into the living room and shouted out to Mikey,

"Mikey, honey…I'm sorry…I love you, Mikey. Please don't ever think any different…"

She got no answer, so she turned and walked out, closing the door behind her.

"I love you too," Mikey shouted after her, hoping that she'd hear him but knew she'd be out of earshot, in the hallway. He had the urge to run after her and tell her just how much he did love her and that everything would be okay.

It was all right, he thought to himself, he'd let her know when he saw her in headquarters, later.

OOOO

Mac sat staring at the calendar, trying to make sense of what was going through her mind. She looked again at the date ringed in red on the calendar, almost a full two weeks before. How on earth had she not realized until now? Just then, Harriet knocked on her door and stuck her head in.

"Sorry to disturb you, ma'am, but I was wondering if perhaps you have a moment?"

"I'm sorry, Harriet, but I was just about to go out for a little while," Mac told her, "Could this possibly wait until I get back?"

"Sure, Ma'am, no problem," Harriet answered, then paused, "Is everything okay, Mac? Is there a problem?"

"No, I don't think there is," Mac assured her, smiling as she walked out towards the elevator.

OOOO

Later that day, Mac was about to nip into the privacy of the women's toilets, when Mikey arrived.

"Hello, Mac," he greeted her, "You haven't seen Cathy, yet, have you? I've got some good news to tell her."

"No," Mac told him, "Sorry, she should be in to see the Admiral any time now… In fact she's a running late…"

"I'll just stick around and wait for her, if that's alright?"

"Sure. She shouldn't be long now. I'm just, uh…going to check something," Mac told him, about to head for the toilets. However, she was caught again on her way there, by Clayton Webb, who had just walked into the bullpen.

"Hi, Mac. Have you seen Catriona this afternoon?" he asked

"Sorry Clay," she told him, "Cathy's a bit late getting in."

"Well," Clay continued, "she was supposed to meet me earlier this morning, but she didn't show up. I asked one of her friends from her scheduled conference, who saw her there earlier, but no one seems to have seen her _since_ then."

"You're not the only one looking for her," Mac told him, gesturing to Mikey, behind them.

"One of Cathy's friends told me that Mikey is hoping for a job promotion," Clay mentioned.

"That's right," Mac told him, "in fact, he's got the job, but hasn't decided if he'll take it. The only thing is, it's in Pensacola..."

"So that was why she was fussing about Pensacola!" Clay exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Mac asked him.

"For the last few weeks, she has been scouring around for a job opening in Pensacola. She approached me for help, but she wouldn't tell me why Pensacola was so important. She even looked for jobs either in or near Florida."

"She did that?" Mikey exclaimed, suddenly, from behind them.

"Sorry, Mikey," Clay told him, "I thought you would know."

"Did she find anything?" Mikey asked him.

"No," Clay replied, "there wasn't anything suitable available."

"I guess that's a good thing," Mikey told them both, "because I've decided not to take the job in Pensacola. I found a job opening in Norfolk. I've decided that I want to be closer to Cathy."

"That's great, Mikey," Mac told him, "but are you sure this is what you want?"

"I'm positive. I want this more than anything," Mikey replied, meaning every word.

OOOO

Mac was in the women's toilets, checking her watch to see how much time had elapsed. The home pregnancy kit sat propped up on the toilet cistern and Mac tried not to keep staring at it.

Harriet, meanwhile, was in the bullpen, outside Mac's office, when the phone rang. She picked it up, answering, "Hello, JAG headquarters."

"May I speak to Colonel Sarah Mackenzie, please?" asked the voice on the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry, but the Colonel isn't in her office, right now. Would you like to leave a message?"

"Actually, this is quite important, is there anyway else that I can contact her?"

"Well, the Colonel may be in headquarters, somewhere. Would you be willing to hold while I take a look for her?"

"Yes, that would be fine."

Harriet set the phone down then ran towards the toilets, thinking she has seen Mac heading that way, quite a while ago. Walking in, she called, "Colonel, Ma'am?"

"Yes, Harriet?" Mac answered, busy looking at the pregnancy indicator stick in her hand.

"Ma'am, there's a call for you in the bullpen."

"Harriet, I'm a bit busy at the moment…"

"They said that it was important, Ma'am."

"Okay…will you find out what they want, while I finish up here?"

Okay, Ma'am," Harriet told her and ran back to the phone. Mac, meanwhile, slipped the pregnancy test into her pocket and washed up, before going back to the bullpen.

"The Colonel will be just a moment, Ma'am. May I ask what this is concerning?"

Mac signaled to Harriet that she would be just a moment, then nipped into her office to put the pregnancy test into her briefcase. She could still hear Harriet in the bullpen.

"Yes, Ma'am, I'm a close friend and a colleague, I'm sure the Colonel would have no problem with me knowing what this is concerning…Catriona Carter…Yes, the Colonel is her legal guardian…"

Just then, Mac, Bud and Mikey looked up in shock as Harriet exclaimed, "Oh my God! Mac! It's a nurse from Bethesda calling, she says that they have Cathy there in the ER!"

Mac sprinted forward and grabbed the phone, while Mikey went to Harriet, trying to get her to tell him what had happened. Harriet could only shake her head, helplessly.

"Yes, this is Colonel MacKenzie…A motor vehicle accident! Is she okay? I understand, but…yes, yes I'll be there as soon as I can!"

Mac hung up the phone then and ran to get her briefcase.

"Mikey, call Harm on his cell phone, please." she requested, "We'll pick him up on our way to the hospital."

"What do I tell him?" Mikey asked.

"Tell him the truth. Say that Cathy's in Bethesda, that she's been in a car crash."

"But is she okay?" Mikey demanded.

"I don't know, they wouldn't tell me over the phone," Mac replied.

OOOO


	6. Chapter 6

OOOO

Ch. 6

The group ran into the ER of Bethesda Naval Hospital, rushed up to the front desk and asked for any information about Catriona.

"Are you the people I talked to on the phone?" the nurse asked them.

"Yes, that's right, I'm Colonel MacKenzie and this is my husband, we're both Cathy's legal guardians."

"And these, I assume are family friends?"

"Yes," Mac told her, then asked, anxiously, "Is Cathy alright? Was she hurt?"

"The doctor is in with her now," the nurse told them, "She doesn't seem to have any really serious injuries, apart from a nasty bruise to her temple and a concussion, but when the paramedics arrived on the scene, Miss Carter seemed extremely distressed and was in the midst of a panic attack. We've had to sedate her rather heavily, so she can rest and get some sleep, which is the best thing for her right now. But if you'd like to take her home, her doctor is willing to release her to your care, providing that she'll get 24 hour care."

"Thank God," Harm exclaimed, after the nurse had left, as they sat back down to wait for the doctor. Mikey, however, remained very quiet and refused to relax until he had seen for himself that Cathy was truly okay. Harriet tried to talk to him, but his mind was fixed on one thought, and that was Cathy.

Finally, the doctor came through to see them and told them about what was known about the accident, so far.

"From people who were at the scene, we've been able to gather that Cathy's car was broad sided by another that had run a stop sign. We don't think Cathy even saw it coming, it was going so fast. Whether she was preoccupied by something else, only she knows, but from what we examined of her car, it shouldn't have even been on the road. The brake cable had been partially corroded and it's unbelievable that she's avoided an accident, so far. It really should have been replaced before now. Cathy herself has only had a nasty bump to the head, but when the paramedics arrived on the scene, she was pinned inside the car and was in an extremely upset state. Right now she's resting under sedation, but if you want, you can go see her then check her out and take her home. I, for one thing think that she might be a little more comfortable at home, in her own bed. But it's important that there will be someone to look after her. Miss Carter will be in no shape to care for herself for at least a couple of days."

"That won't be a problem," Mac told him, "Most of us will be on hand, all the time, to take care of her."

"Who will be her main care-giver?"

Mac looked at the others for a moment, then replied, "My husband and I are Cathy's legal guardians, but she lives with her boyfriend. Mikey will be looking after her."

Mikey nodded in agreement, then the doctor turned his attention to him.

"You're Mikey? When Miss Carter was brought in, she was asking for you, but we didn't manage to find a number for you in her belongings."

Mikey tried to force the lump in his throat down and keep his voice from breaking as he replied, "No, I don't have a house phone and I've only recently come back from deployment…"

Mikey was too upset to talk anymore, so the doctor told him, "It's okay…would you like to see her now, Mikey? I'm afraid you'll all have to take it in turns, because we're trying not to let her get worked up. She is heavily sedated, so she won't be able to respond to you just yet. After a good day or two of sleep and plenty of rest, she'll be feeling much better. And, of course, don't forget to heap on the love and support. That's the most important aid to recovery."

Mikey went in to see Cathy first, then Harm and Mac and finally Bud and Harriet. All of them were surprised to see the state that Cathy was in. She was unconscious throughout the entire period, but the only physical aspect of her injury was the bruise that spread from her temple to her right eye. They had been quick to check Cathy out of the hospital and get her home to her and Mikey's apartment, where they were sure she would be faster in recovering.

Mikey spent his time each day caring for Cathy, cooking her meals and feeding her, since for the first twenty-four hours, she was unable to do it for herself. The heavy sedation meant that Cathy was too out of it to talk, but now and then, she was able to raise her head in order to look Mikey in the eyes.

He would lovingly cup her cheek, telling her,

"It's okay, Baby. I know you're trying to tell me something, but just concentrate on getting better. The sedation will wear off soon."

That first night at home, and other nights afterwards, they both slept solidly with Cathy carefully cradled in Mikey's arms.

The next day, Cathy was sleeping when Mac, Harm, Bud and Harriet arrived to see her.

"I definitely think she's doing much better," Mikey told them, as he let them in, "She managed to ask me for a glass of water, this morning."

They walked through into the bedroom, where they discovered Cathy in deep slumber, again.

"That's the best thing for her," Harm approved, quietly, "she'll sleep all of the medication off and feel much better when she wakes up."

Mac crossed the room to sit beside the bed and gently brushed the hair back from Cathy's face.

"I can't believe that we almost lost her again," she murmured, half to herself, "It really is a miracle that she's still here for us to love, despite all that she's been through."

"I've been telling myself the same thing," Mikey told her, "Last night, before I went to sleep, I thought about how I never had a chance to let her know just how much I love her and want to be with her. When she left the house yesterday, I said that we'd talk about this whole job thing when we met at JAG. But I never had a chance to tell her that I'm going to Norfolk with her. She was so upset to think that we might be parted, but I told her that we'd talk about it later. Then, we had a bit of an argument about me fixing her car. I was supposed to check it, the day before, but I didn't get around to it…I was too busy on the damn phone speaking to Dan…She lost her temper and said that she thought Dan and this new job meant more to me than she did…But before she left, she apologized and told me that she loved me. But I don't think that she heard me say it back. I thought I'd have another chance to tell her how much I love her. What if I'd never got that second chance?"

"It's okay Mikey," Harm comforted him, "You have that chance, we all do. We'll let her know how much we all love her."

"I won't let her out of my sight until I do," Mikey told him, "In fact, I don't think I'll ever be able to let her out of my sight again. How could I, knowing what might have happened the last time?"

"It's okay Mikey," Harriet assured him, hugging him tightly, "she's still here and once she's better again, you'll be able to let her know all of what you've just told us."

OOOO

As Harm and Mac got home later that day, Harm took a glance at the calendar on the dining table.

"Wow," he told Mac, "In all of the excitement that's been going on lately, I forgot what day it is today. It's Father's Day."

"Father's Day…" Mac thought to herself, remembering the home pregnancy kit that was still in her briefcase.

"I'll go up to see my Dad, first thing tomorrow," Harm told her, referring to the Wall in Arlington National Cemetery, "Would you like to come with me, Sarah?"

"I think I should," Mac replied, "because after this, we're going to have a lot to tell him."

"What, you mean about Cathy and Mikey?" Harm asked her.

"Well, yeah about all of that," Mac replied, "but I've got some good news too."

"What is it?" Harm asked her, unsuspecting.

"Well, in all that has been going on lately, I wasn't really able to pay much attention to our own life, but I discovered yesterday that our lives are going to be pretty altered from now on." She paused and opened her briefcase. "I know it hasn't been very long since we got married, but I really believe things have turned out for the best, in the end."

With this, she took out the results stick from the home pregnancy test and handed it to Harm.

"Happy Father's Day, Daddy!"

OOOO

After that, time seemed to fly by and Harm and Mac threw themselves into preparing for the baby's arrival, decorating and preparing the nursery, booking the first doctor's appointment and registering for antenatal classes.

Of course, everyone at JAG was delighted for them, especially Cathy, who was extremely excited about becoming an Aunt. But Mikey had not yet told her about taking the job in Norfolk, saving the good news for the ideal opportunity. It was over two weeks before Cathy went back to work, but within the week, she had prepared to get back to JAG to resume tutoring the Admiral. Mikey had seen this as the perfect moment to tell Cathy, when they were surrounded by all the people they loved most. Mikey had let the others know that this would be the big day, but did not let them in on too much detail, so as to spoil the surprise. He arrived in the bullpen early, while Cathy was still in the Admiral's office.

"You all set, Mikey?" Bud asked his brother, to which Mikey replied, "All's ready, Bud."

Everyone around was extremely excited, but tried to at least pretend to carry on as normal, which was no easy feat. Harm and Mac sat in her office, trying to look as if they were discussing a case. Harriet settled herself at the Xerox machine, with a large stack of papers. The rest of the staff simply milled around the bullpen, trying to act busy, when AJ emerged from his office with Catriona. Everyone watched, acting in an inconspicuous manner, as the Admiral looked up and spotted that Mikey was there and in position. He pointed Mikey out to Cathy, off-handedly, who looked up, delighted, then came over to greet him. Mikey then urged her to take a seat next to him.

"What is it?" she asked him, suspecting nothing.

"I've got some good news," Mikey told her, "It looks like I'm going to be moving to that new job at around the same time as you are. I'm going to be staying in accommodation on the base, a nice little ground-floor apartment, so you'll be able to spend as much time as possible there."

"I don't know just how much time that will be, since I'll be traveling so far…"Cathy started.

"Well," Mikey told he, "It looks as if that is going to be much more time than we first anticipated."

"How's that?" Cathy asked him, puzzled.

"Well, Cath…I'm not going to Pensacola. I'm going to be taking a job in Norfolk, which will be even better, mainly because that means that I'll be with you."

Cathy let out a squeal of delight and threw herself into Mikey's arms. He held her tightly then pulled her into a long kiss, oblivious to the happy smiling faces of the people around them. The Admiral chuckled happily to himself, while, in Mac's office, Harm put an arm around Mac, both of them looking over the proceedings, proudly. Over by the xerox machine, Harriet blotted away a happy tear with her hanky. However, what happened next, none of them could have anticipated.

"Cath?" Mikey asked Cathy, pulling away for a second, "Over the past few weeks, I've come to realize just how much I need you. After all that's happened, I've realized that I _need_ you in my life, that I couldn't live without you by my side. I want to spend the rest of our lives together, I want you to come and live with me on the Naval base in Norfolk, but I want to do it properly…"

As Catriona looked on in amazement, Mikey dropped down to one knee, in front of the entire bullpen.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I want to grow old with you. I want to be the person you turn to for love, I want to raise a family with you."

Cathy clapped a hand over her mouth to prevent letting out a cry of joy, as Mikey reached into his jacket pocket and took out a sparkling diamond ring.

"Catriona Carter, will you marry me and be my wife?"

As tears of joy flowed freely down her face, Cathy was so over come, she could only nod, eagerly.

Mikey grinned as he slipped the ring onto the ring finger of her left hand, which he held tightly within his own. Everyone let out a cheer as Mikey stood and passionately kissed Cathy, holding her in his tight embrace.

Watching the happy couple, the wise Admiral noted quietly, to himself, "I guess it goes to show that dreams really do come true!"

OOOO Continued in SP 11: Celebrations OOOO


End file.
